Jean-Louis Pons Discovers His First Comet: 37 More to Follow
A man who couldn't read or write discovered more comets than anyone in history. Jean-Louis Pons started as a doorkeeper at the Marseille Observatory in 1801, sweeping floors and polishing lenses. That July, he spotted his first comet. Over the next 27 years, he found 36 more—a record that still stands. No formal education. No mathematics. Just patient eyes and clear nights. And the comet that returns every 71 years? It bears his name, not the names of the astronomers who once employed him to clean their telescopes.
July 11, 1801
225 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on July 11
Kaiser Caracalla verleiht mit der Verkündung der Constitutio Antoniniana allen freien Bewohnern des Römischen Imperiums das Bürgerrecht.
Western Roman Emperor Anthemius met his end at the hands of his own generals after they cornered him inside St. Peter’s Basilica. His execution shattered the la…
le nouveau roi des Francs Pépin le Bref premier carolingien du titre réaffirme un monopole royal de frappe de la monnaie dans un capitulaire de Ver et en émetta…
Byzantine Emperor Michael I steps down on July 11, 813, handing power to General Leo the Armenian before entering monastic life as Athanasius. This transfer end…
Charles the Simple granted the lower Seine valley to the Viking leader Rollo, ending decades of Norse raids in exchange for a defensive buffer against future in…
Conrad III devient roi de Bourgogne transjurane.[réf. nécessaire]
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